Reacting to Froome's fall, Team Sky sports director Nicolas Portal said: "We were scared out of our wits, like everyone else, but after talking with him, everything seems OK."

What awaits in stage five

"This could be carnage. It is going to be a really stressful day for all the teams who have a rider chasing the overall race win because we have nine sections of pave to negotiate and a lot can happen on the cobbles. It's all about the fighting beforehand, getting into the right position and that's when the accidents happen."